floods, till it is from three to four leagues in breadth, and from twenty to fifty fathoms in depth.

It rolls on its majestic current, still receiving tribute on either side, till it pours its vast contents into the Atlantic ocean by upwards of fourscore mouths. The manatu, and the tortoise, the alligator, and the tremendous water-serpent, abound in this vast confluence of rivers.

We have not noticed the Delawar, the Oronoko, the Gambia, the Hoango, nor many others, known, or unknown to ancient history; much less have we particularized the puny streams of Britain, as our intention was only to give a brief view of the utility of rivers in general, and to describe some of their most prominent features. With a few observations more we will close this subject.

The rivers of those countries that have been least inhabited, or whose inhabitants have been least civilized, are usually more rocky, uneven, and broken into water-falls or cataracìs, than those where the industry of man has been more prevalent. Wherever civilized man comes, nature puts on a milder appearance: the terrible and the sublime, are exchanged for the gentle and the useful; the cataract is sloped away into a placid stream, and the banks become more smooth and even.

Every one's experience must have supplied instances of rivers thus being made to flow more evenly and more beneficially to mankind: but there are some whose currents are so rapid, and whose falls are so precipitant, that no art can obviate; and that must for ever remain as instances of the incorrigibility of nature.

We have mentioned the annual inundations that most of the great rivers in the world are subject to, but besides these there are many other rivers that overflow at much shorter intervals. Thus most of those in Peru, and Chili, which flow into the South Sea, have scarce any motion by night; but upon the appearance of the morning sun, they resume their former rapidity: this proceeds from the mountain snows which, melting with the heat, increases the stream, and continue to drive on the current while the sun continues to dissolve them. Some considerable rivers also are swallowed up by the sands before they can reach the sea: this is the case with several in Arabia, and many in Africa.

Some rivers, by their inundations, fertilize the countries through which they pass; but this is not the case with all; for the Niger, or Senegal, as it is called at its mouth, though it rises and falls at about the same time with the Nile, and overflows all the flat country of Negro-land, distributes diseascs, famine, and death. Egypt is a dry country, and, but for the bounty of the Nile, would be a parched, sandy desert: while the country along the banks of the Niger is always sufficiently moist, and luxuriant almost beyond conception: the inhabitants also are destitute of art, or industry, sufficient to make any advantage of the manure which the inundation brings with it. The banks, therefore, of that river lie uncultivated, and are overgrown with rank and noxious herbage, infested with thousands of animals of various malignity.

Every new flood only tends to increase the rankness of the soil, and ́ to provide fresh shelter for the creatures that infest it. If the flood continues but a few days longer than usual, the improvident inhabitants,

who are driven up into the higher grounds, begin to want provisions, and a famine ensues. When the river returns to its channel, the humidity and heat of the air are equally fatal; and the carcases of infinite numbers of animals, swept away by the inundation, putrifying in the sun, produce a stench that is almost insupportable. And even the luxuriance of the vegetation itself becomes a nuisance. It is asserted by persons of veracity, who have been up that river, that there are some plants which grow on its banks, the smell of which is so powerful, as hardly to be endured. It is certain, that all the sailors and soldiers who have been at any of our factories there, ascribe the unwholesomeness of the voyage up the stream to the vegetable vapour.

There are some rivers also which, for a time, are swallowed up in the earth, and afterwards rise again in some distant place. The Jordan, according to Josephus, rises at the lake Phaila, disappears, and rises again at Dan, and then continues its course. The Greatah, in Yorkshire, buries itself for some distance, and then rises again; and also the Molesey in Surry. Geographers tell us of many inore.

It is observable likewise that all the great rivers in north and south America run into the Atlantic Ocean; hardly any of importance running into the Pacific; though most of them take their rise from that side of the American continent.

There are but few small rivers under the line, especially in Africa. Such little streams as are common in Europe, and which we dignify with the name of rivers, would quickly evaporate in those parching and extensive deserts: it is only a large and copious stream that can maintain its course in those arid regions. At the poles it is far otherwise: in these desolate countries, the mountains are covered with perpetual ice, which melts but little; the springs and rivulets, therefore, are furnished with but a very scanty supply.

On the whole, to whatever quarter of the globe we turn, we shall find new reasons to be satisfied with that part of it which we inhabit. Our rivers furnish all the plenty of the African stream, without its inundation; they have all the coolness of the polar rivulet, with a more constant supply; they may want the terrible magnificence of huge cataracts or extensive lakes, but they are more navigable and transparent; though less deep and rapid than the rivers of the torrid zone, they are more manageable, and only wait the will of man to take their direction. The lines are fallen unto us in pleasant places, and Providence hath given us a goodly heritage.

A PROFITABLE METHOD

OF READING THE SCRIPTURES.

THE

Extracted from the Diary of a pious deceased Christian.

HE method of reading the Sacred Scriptures which is here presented to our friends, was, for a long course of years, practised by an eminent private Christian, who so far profited by it, as both to know and to do the will of Christ in a most exemplary manner,

He had spent several years in company with a man of quality and fortune, who resided near him in the country, and by whose example he had been betrayed into several fashionable vices; and by his influence he was led into many of those follies, to which idleness and fulness of bread expose vain and thoughtless men.

The lady of his gay friend was a woman of genuine piety: Providence took her away. The circumstance so affected him, that he wrote to her

husband as follows:

" SIR,

"IT has pleased God to take away your excellent lady: had he done the same to you or me, I very much fear that we should not have been able to give so good an account of ourselves as she. You may do as you please; for my own part, I think I have played the fool long enough, and, alas! too long! I do now resolve, by God's grace, to become another man than I have hitherto been.

"Your sincere friend,

66

*******

He was, for a considerable time, supposed to be in a melancholy madness. But this was the mistake of those who had not yet felt the evil of sin. His sorrow was a godly sorrow, that worketh repentance. By earnest prayer, and attentive reading of the Scriptures, he saw the way of salvation, and found peace: his sorrow gave way to joy unspeakable and glorious. He persevered in that faith which purifieth the heart, and worketh, all obedience, by love. He died, aged 57, full of consolation.

As the method which he pursued in attending to the word of truth was plain and practical, and such as any Christian can follow, we with pleasure give a few specimens of it, and earnestly recommend its practice.

MATTHEW, XVIII.
Hence I learn,

1. To be teachable, humble, and harmless, v. 3, 4.

2. To shew my love to Christ by kindness to my fellow Christians, v.5.

3. Not to offend any one, v. 6.

4. To undergo any extremities for the good of my soul, v. 7. 5. To seek the salvation of others, V. 11, 12.

6. To rejoice at the salvation of sinners, v. 13.

7. To tell my offending brother of his fault in private; if this do not reclaim him, then before one or two of the brethren; if he hear not them, then tell it to the church; if he still continue obstinate, count him as a heathen, v. 15.

8. To believe that Christ is present in the assemblies of the church,

V. 20.

22.

9. To forgive my offending brother as oft as he repenteth, v. 21,

10. To be merciful to my deb tors, v. 23.

MATTHEW, XXIII.

Hence I learn,

1. To obey my civil governors in all lawful things, v. 2, 3.

2. Not to make a shew of religion to get praise of men, v. 5.

3. Not to be proud or ambitious, v. 6, 7. '

4. To own God and Christ only for my supreme Father and master,

v. 6, 7.

5. To be humble, even in the highest stations, v. 11.

6. To promote godliness both in myself and others, v. 13.

7. Not to colour base purposes with pretences of religion, v. 14.

S. Not to swear by any of God's creatures, v. 16.

9. Not to rest in the observance of one, and that the least, part of my duty, but to do the whole, and the chief parts of it in the first place,

v. 23.

10. Not to be scrupulous about sinall matters, and make no conscience

of greater, v. 24.

11. To be as good in reality as I appear to be, v. 25.

12. Not to partake in other men's sins, v. 30.

13. Not to ruin myself, seeing God would save me, v. 37.

We have given the above examples promiscuously, only as a sample, not as having any thing peculiar, but to shew the manner in which he read, and to encourage others to the same. We will subjoin another,

instance..

3. To commiserate them who are in prison, and in any adversity,

v. 3.

4. To honour marriage, v. 4.

5. To avoid fornication and adultery, v. 4.

6. Not to be covetous, but be content with my condition, v. 5. 7. To rely upon God, and not to fear man, v. 6.

8. To reverence the officers of the church, v. 7.

9. To be stedfast in all divine truth, and not to place religion in ́outward things, v. 9.

10. To bear the reproach of Christ, v. 13.

11. Not to make this world my home, but to seek the heavenly Jerusalem, v. 14..

12. To live in daily praise and thanksgiving to God, v. 15.

13. To do good and to communicate to the necessitous, v. 16.

14. To obey my spiritual rulers, and to pray for Christ's ministers, V. 17, 18.

15. To keep a good conscience and live honestly, v. 18.

16. To pray that I may be perfect in every good work, v. 21. 17. To do the will of God in all things, v. 21.

Any industrious Christian, who reads the Bible carefully, may improve upon this method. One chapter a day thus dissected, would afford matter for daily meditation, and would, in process of time, make a person a scribe well instructed in the kingdom of God.

DREAMS are all those thoughts which people feel passing through their minds, and those imaginary transactions in which they often

fancy themselves engaged, when in the state of sleep.

In dreaming we are not conscious of being asleep. This is well known from many circumstances. When awake, we often recollect our dreams; and we remember, on such occasions, that while those dreams were passing through our minds, it never occurred to us that we were separated by sleep from the active world. We are often observed to act and talk in dreaming, as if we were busily engaged in the intercourse of social life.

One Scripture says, « In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed, then God openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction." Job, xxxiii. 15, 16. This passage seems to favour our observance of dreams. There are many instances in the Old Testament which prove cams te

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